This quote is the reason I’m boldly aiming for a 50K Ultra in 2020. I’d been reading more and more about people in their 50s and 60s who were going for these longer distances and I thought…what if..?.. To me this goal is thrilling and HUGE and right now I absolutely don’t think I can do it. Despite that, I’m going to throw everything at this with the assumption I’ll pull it off. That’s the only way to nab these biggies.
“Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog. Make sure everything you do is so completely crazy it’s unbelievable” Matilda, Roald Dahl
I don’t think you need blind belief at the beginning. Self doubt is normal. Go ahead and pick your big reach goal, work out a rough plan of what you’ll need to do (for me it was: source training plan, change eating habits, practice spending long periods of time on my feet, learn how to fuel on the go etc etc) and as time passes and you work on your plan THAT’S when your belief will start to grow. It’s a special day, believe me, when the thought creeps unbidden into your mind: “Hey, maybe I can do this..?”
What you do need is CLARITY though.
- The clarity of knowing EXACTLY what it is you want. And in DETAIL. This is your BIG GOAL for 2020 and it should become the focus of all your training.
“If you want lasting change, you’ve got to give up this idea of ‘trying something.’ You’ve got to decide you’re going to commit to mastery. Most people dabble. They say, ‘I’d like to change my body,’ or ‘I’d like to make my relationship better.’ These people don’t have enough detail to follow through.” —Tony Robbins
- The clarity of knowing how you’ll get it.
The path you need to take to achieve bigger goals will always be less obvious than that to reach a smaller one. It’s more difficult for you to work out how you’ll get there. In fact, when you first dare to breathe hope into your BIG GOAL, you’re probably going to be clueless about how to reach it. It’s the unknown. A threat. Therefore, as a human, your likely response will be fear. So you chip away at your dream-your BIG GOAL until it’s smaller and neater and your chest releases its grip a little.
How many of you can relate to this..?
“We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” Robert Brault
So what to do?
Once you know exactly what it is you want (for me: to take part in a 50K Ultra in July 2020) then…
Embrace Uncertainty
Expect and understand that your emotional reaction to the unknown is likely to be negative. Accept and embrace it. As we get older our desire for certainty and security keeps us firmly stuck in our comfort zone.
‘I will not pretend I wasn’t petrified. I was. But mixed in with the awful fear was a glorious feeling of excitement. Most of the really exciting things we do in our lives scare us to death. They wouldn’t be exciting if they didn’t.’ – Danny the Champion of the World
“What if they come after us?” said Mr. Bucket, speaking for the first time. “What if they capture us?” said Mrs. Bucket. “What if they shoot us?” said Grandma Georgina. “What if my beard were made of green spinach?” cried Mr. Wonka. “Bunkum and tummyrot! You’ll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he’d said ‘What if I sink on the way over? What if I meet pirates? What if I never come back?’ He wouldn’t even have started!” ― Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Start From Where You Are
You don’t have to know all the steps you have to take before you press GO on your BIG GOAL.
“You don’t have to get it all figured out at once” Mark Zuckerberg
Now you’ve breathed life into your BIG GOAL, rather than focussing on trying to motivate yourself, a much better goal would be to concentrate on clarifying the next few steps ahead of you.
If your BIG GOAL is to complete-like me-a 50K challenge and you’re just starting out all you need to do is:
- Research how long it takes to train for a 50K
- Find a suitable event date and register
Then you need to know what needs to happen for the next 3-4 weeks or so. Once you get there you can reassess. You’ll have learnt things during those first few weeks that you can use to help you in the next section of your plan.
Make a List of What You Need to Learn
Remember, there’s no one size fits all so although I’ll do lots of research on ultras and read about what worked for other people I can’t blindly follow their advice. I need to get out there and work out how I personally react to everything…
- How to fuel on the run
- Running on trails
- How much water to take in
- How my body copes with long distances
- What strength training and when?
- What gear I need
- How to deal with chafing and blisters
… and so much more! But-the only way for me to really learn what I need to learn is by getting out there and just starting.
In just 5 weeks I’ve learnt that I can cope with hikes of up to 45K (my latest) but that two weeks recovery between them is better than one. I might add here that actually covering this distance, which I’ve never done before, boosted my confidence no end! Maybe I will be able to get through the 50K distance after all..? (Somehow!)
I’ve learnt that dates, bananas, peanut butter bites and baby food pouches are good fuelling sources for me (meaning that my stomach stays calm and settled!) and that starting the day of a long hike with a bowl of milky oats is a good choice. Taking in 500ml of water every hour is working with the hiking. Everything may change when I start the running plan next week but we’ll see. I have so much more to learn.
And all the while you’re training don’t miss any opportunities to talk to people and ask questions. Read books, blogs or online forums. Join groups such as our RUNNING LIKE A WRINKLY Facebook support group!
Track Your Progress
I’ve decided to keep an online Running Log. After each session I’ll record how it went basically in terms of how my body and mind reacted.
If I make a point of looking at this regularly (say at the end of every 4 weeks) then it should be easier for me to see what’s working and what’s not; where I need to make a few changes to anything from distance to frequency of training to what and when I’m eating and drinking.
Striving to accomplish big goals is not easy. Most people will give up on their dreams in order to have a clear path to lesser goals. It’s all in the setup.
What will you decide to do in 2020? I’m dying to hear about your BIG GOAL! Remember we have our New Year’s Day Virtual Wrinkly Run coming up where you can sketch your 2020 goal onto the bib 🙂
Commit For as Long As It Takes
“I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life. If you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be.” Roald Dahl
“Life is too short to blend in” Paris Hilton
